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Cookie Cutter
I realized that my backhand was pretty solid in terms
of my adherence to racquetball fundamentals mentioned above. But I was
recognizance of the fact that my ERP was varying slightly enough like
Luciano to negatively affect my shots. This leads me to the epiphany
that I needed to re-examine my backhand and see where I can cut down on
any extraneous negative variations (carve out any excessive fats from
this gingerbread batch).
I looked at videotapes of my stroke from
beginning to end and concluded that it was my ERP that had the most
variation. The next step was to re-watch tapes of Open Pro matches
between Monchik, Swain and Ellis and see how they minimize the
variations on their backhand.
In "Winning Ways," Cliff Swain explains how he
minimizes variation on his backhand setup. Swain said that he uses his
free hand pointer finger to touch the top base of the racquet handle for
greater consistency from shot to shot. Swain stated that in this way,
his backhand setup is the same cookie cutter style from shot to shot and
he also knows exactly where his racquet head is at all times.
Fran Davis uses what she calls the "X" method of the
consistent backhand setup. Basically, you make an "X" with your racquet
and non-racquet hand. This is similar to Swain’s technique in that you
know where your racquet head is at all times and the "X" is the same
consistent setup from shot to shot.
Top ranked IRT pro (ranked #8) David Robinson (6’4"
giant of a man) uses what I called the Clasp Method for a more
consistent backhand setup. Robinson uses his free hand and puts it
physically on top of the racquet hand wrist. This technique is good
because he allows Robinson to gauge where his racquet head is at all
time. He puts his left hand on top of his right wrist on each and every
shot and it results in his precise and powerful backhand rips.
I realized that all three technique described above
works because they all employed similar strategies in minimizing
variations. For more racquet length and thus, great power potential, I
suggest adhering to one of the three backhand setup techniques and just
rotate the trunk of your body so your racquet is higher than shoulder
level and leaving everything else the same.
So next time you go to unleash a monstrous backhand
rip, remember that having a cookie cutter mentality will lead to greater
power and accuracy on each and every one of your shots! Racquetball is
very much like baking gingerbread men.
Sources 27
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